Camera on a Rover Surveying System

1. A surveying system for making field measurements, the surveying system comprising: a station, wherein: the station is configured to be placed at a first location; and the station comprises: a first camera; a second camera at a first known distance from the first camera; and a first target; a rover, wherein: the rover is configured to be placed at a second location; the rover comprises: a third camera; a fourth camera at a second known distance from the third camera; and a second target; and a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit images acquired by the first camera and the second camera to a receiving unit, wherein transmitting is configured to be performed while the station is placed at the first location.

2. The surveying system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a second transmitter, the second transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit images acquired by the third camera and the fourth camera to a second receiving unit.

3. The surveying system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the second receiving unit is the same as the receiving unit.

4. The surveying system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising the receiving unit, the receiving unit having one or more processors configured to execute instructions to: identify a first image, the first image being acquired by the first camera while the station is at the first location; determine a first position of the second target in the first image; identify a second image, the second image being acquired by the second camera while the station is at the first location; determine a second position of the second target in the second image; identify a third image, the third image being acquired by the third camera while the rover is at the second location; determine a first position of the first target in the third image; identify a fourth image, the fourth image being acquired by the fourth camera while the rover is at the second location; and determine a second position of the first target in the fourth image.

5. The surveying system as recited in claim 4 , wherein the receiving unit is further configured to calculate a spatial relationship between the first location and the second location using the first position of the first target, the second position of the first target, the first position of the second target, the second position of the second target, the first known distance, and the second known distance.

6. The surveying system as recited in claim 4 , wherein: the rover is configured to be moved to a plurality of locations; and the one or more processors are configured to: receive images acquired from the third camera and the fourth camera while the rover is at the plurality of locations; and determine spatial relationships between the first location and each of the plurality of locations.

7. The surveying system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the station and the rover have a similar number of cameras and a similar number of targets.

8. The surveying system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first target is a painted marking on the station.

9. A method for making field measurements during surveying, the method comprising: placing a station at a first location, the station comprising: a first camera; a second camera at a first known distance from the first camera; and a first target; placing a rover at a second location, the rover comprising: a third camera; a fourth camera at a second known distance from the third camera; and a second target; acquiring a first image with the first camera while the rover is at the second location, the first image includes the second target; acquiring a second image with the second camera while the rover is at the second location, the second image includes the second target; acquiring a third image with the third camera while the rover is at the second location, the third image includes the first target; acquiring a fourth image with the fourth camera while the rover is at the second location, the fourth image includes the first target; and determining a spatial relationship between the first location and the second location based on: a position of the second target in the first image; a position of the second target in the second image; a position of the first target in the third image; a position of the first target in the fourth image; the first known distance; and the second known distance.

10. The method for making field measurements during surveying as recited in claim 9 , wherein: the first target comprises a first pattern; the second target comprises a second pattern; and the method further comprises identifying a position of the first pattern in the third image and in the fourth image, and identifying a position of the second pattern in the first image and in the second image.

11. The method for making field measurements during surveying as recited in claim 9 , wherein the second target comprises a light that blinks at a specified rate or a specified sequence.

12. The method for making field measurements during surveying as recited in claim 9 , further comprising acquiring temperature data, wherein: the temperature data is initially acquired within a predetermined time from when the first image and the second image were acquired; the predetermined time is less than four hours; and the temperature data is used to calculate the first known distance.

13. The method for making field measurements during surveying as recited in claim 9 , further comprising: placing the rover at a third location; acquiring images of the first target and the second target while the rover is at the third location; and determining a spatial relationship between the first location and the third location based on images acquired of the first target and the second target while the rover is at the third location.

14. The method for making field measurements during surveying as recited in claim 13 , wherein: positions of the first location and of the second location are determined independently from images taken by the first camera, the second camera, the third camera, or the fourth camera; determining the spatial relationship between the first location and the second location includes establishing a baseline between the first location and the second location using coordinates of the first location and coordinates of the second location; and determining the spatial relationship between the first location and the third location includes determining coordinates of the third location based on a location of the first target in images acquired while the rover is at the third location and the baseline between the first location and the second location.

15. The method for making field measurements during surveying as recited in claim 9 , wherein the spatial relationship is a distance between the first location and the second location in a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system.

16. The method for making field measurements during surveying as recited in claim 9 , further comprising transmitting an image from the station and/or from the rover to a mobile, computing device; wherein determining the spatial relationship between the first location and the second location is performed by the mobile, computing device.

17. The method for making field measurements during surveying as recited in claim 9 , wherein the position of the second target in the first image is determined using a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system.

18. A memory device having instructions for determining a spatial relationship between a first location and a second location that when executed cause one or more processor to: receive a first image, a second image, a third image, and a fourth image, wherein: the first image is initially acquired at the first location using a first camera; the second image is initially acquired at the first location using a second camera; the third image is initially acquired at the second location using a third camera; the fourth image is initially acquired at the second location using a fourth camera; determine a two-dimensional position of a second target within the first image; determine a two-dimensional position of the second target within the second image; determine a two-dimensional position of a first target within the third image; determine a two-dimensional position of the first target within the fourth image; calculate a three-dimensional relationship between the first location and the second location based on: the two-dimensional position of the second target within the first image; the two-dimensional position of the second target within the second image; the two-dimensional position of the first target within the third image; the two-dimensional position of the first target within the fourth image; a first known distance between the first camera and the second camera; and a second known distance between the third camera and the fourth camera.

19. The memory device having instructions for determining the spatial relationship between the first location and the second location as recited in claim 18 , wherein the memory device is located in a mobile, computing device.

20. The memory device having instructions for determining the spatial relationship between the first location and the second location as recited in claim 19 , wherein the mobile, computing device is a mobile phone.